


I Can Afford You

by Natasha09



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Muggle AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2018-07-29 18:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7694854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natasha09/pseuds/Natasha09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Albus Severus Potter is a nineteen year old university student, who is also a male escort.</p>
<p>Scorpius Malfoy is a millionaire who requires a male escort for a week.</p>
<p>What happens when they meet?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Albus Potter was practically falling asleep as his psychology teacher droned on. It wasn’t that he did not like psychology or his professor, for that matter, but that the previous night had been a late, long and tiring one. Although he did have a great dinner at the Ritz, the food was scrumptious and the woman he had accompanied _was_ beautiful, even if she wasn’t polite or fun. Besides, he thought to himself, for two hundred pounds, he’d do it again.

He realized with a start that the lecture was over when everyone stood up and began gathering their stuff and he heard Polly calling his name from a distance. He jumped out of his seat, packed his bag and ran out of the class without so much as glancing towards her. He knew that most people would consider this rude but he simply did want to spend any time with her, so he did not understand why he should pretend anything otherwise. He ran into the bustling hallways, pushing his way through the hoards of people,checking his watch to see that it was already ten o'clock, it was the best thing about having a class at seven in the morning. Even if he didn't get enough sleep, he got the entire day to catch up. Besides, it gave him enough time to work.

He finally got out of the hallway and ran towards the parking lot to his car.  _His_ car, a Ford Angela, was light blue and old and technically it wasn’t even his; his uncles George and Charlie had fixed up his grandfathers old car for his eighteenth birthday two years ago. He wasn’t complaining though, the fact that he had a car, his own car without having to spend his savings was something he was extremely thankful for. He reached it, threw his bag inside, got inside himself and started driving. Half way through, his phone started ringing but he drove on, ignoring it, he needed to reach home soon as he had to finish the assignments that he was behind on, had to prepare a bunch of power point presentations that were due in two weeks and had to prepare for exams that were nearly two months away.

He sighed in relief when he saw the words River Park, drove inside and parked in front of his apartment building, it wasn’t posh, but at least it wasn’t falling apart, like the last place he stayed in. He grabbed his bag and ran inside through the rain. When he entered the lobby of the building, he realized something rather odd was going on.

He excused himself as he pushed past the people congregated in the lobby all the while ignoring their nasty looks, as if _he_ was somehow personally responsible for whatever it was that had occurred in the building. Out of seemingly nowhere, a hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him into the front of the crowd. It was his landlord.

“What are you doing?” 

“There was a fire at your apartment.” Albus stilled.

“What?” He asked incredulously.

“You left your hair dryer on. And there was spark in the switch, which caught fire.” He said matter-of-factly.

“My….my stuff!”

“Most of it has burnt, although they are trying to save whatever they can. This is what I get for renting an apartment to an ignorant queer.” Ignoring the jab against his sexuality and the painful grip on his wrist, Albus turned to face his landlord fully.

“But what about my books? And clothes? Money?”

“What do I know? But you are paying for this.” Albus felt indignation rise within him as he ripped his, now sore and possibly bruised wrist from his landlord’s hand.

“No, I’m not.” Some of the people gathered around them moved back as if he was getting ready to shock them. At 5’11, Albus was tall and his teenage years, which were spent training in kickboxing, had left him with a physique that was impressive and intimidating, well that's what Louis told him.

“Yes, you are. If it wasn’t for your queer habits-“

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me. What does it matter if I’m gay? Which I’m not, by the way, I’m bisexual.” He honestly did not know why he was screaming this in his landlords face in the lobby where his entire building could hear him. He blamed it on lack of sleep and testosterone, at least that’s what Teddy said after a fight with Victorie. “How does me being gay affect whether or not there was a fire at my apartment? I didn’t know apartments spontaneously caught fire when a _bisexual_ guy walked in.”

“Don’t be stupid boy, of course it didn’t _spontaneously_ catch fire. But what normal man do you know that uses a hair dryer?”

“My brother does.”

“Yes, well if he’s _your_ brother, then there isn’t much of a chance of him being normal.”

“Well, that is a bit true, James is far too big-headed to be normal.” His landlord scoffed.

“James Potter, your brother, the dreams and delusions you have.”

“Look, let’s have  _that_ argument later, first finish our other argument. I’m not paying for the repairs. You should be paying me for the damages. How many times have I told you to send a damn electrician to the –“

“Don’t you dare blame this on me boy, this is all your fault.”

“Mr. Peasgood, are you related to a Vernon Dursley?” It probably wasn’t best to ask this question at this time, but the resemblance was far too compelling for Albus to keep quiet about it anymore. His landlord spluttered for a moment, before gaining his wits, well, whatever wits he had.

“Don’t you dare change the topic. You’re paying for the repairs, that’s it. Or you can leave, and say goodbye to your deposit as well.”

“No way-“ Before he could complete his statement, his landlord had left. People looked on before he turned and glared at them, his green eyes icy and cold, after which they scattered away. He went upstairs to his small, one bedroom apartment to see the damage the fire had caused.

The door was open and looked broken, the firemen were trying to salvage everything they could. He met their head who told him that the fire had started due to his blow dryer. They had dried everything and had piled up whatever had escaped the damage. He walked into the hall where his books were, half burnt, half soaked, the furniture in the living room was fine and the kitchen was more or less unharmed. His bedroom however, was destroyed. The sheets were burnt, there was soot on the wall and as he had left his cupboard open in a hurry that morning, most of his clothes had burnt. As he inspected the cupboard, he realized that only his underwear hadn’t burnt.

“So Ben,” he asked as he found the fireman he had spoken to before, “how much is it going to cost to fix this?”

“We won’t be able to give you a definitive price till after the work is over.”

“So give me an estimate.”

“It will take around four thousand pounds.”

Albus fell on his bed. He didn’t have any savings, his insurance had expired and after the fight he had with Rose, his cousin, he was not going to ask his father to repair the apartment. His landlord was an arse who would not let him stay here if he didn’t pay for the repairs. He would have to work for the money.

"Okay. What do I do now?"

"Is there anyplace you can stay?"

"My brothers house."

The answer came almost instantaneously. Even though he and James did get along when they were children, they got along now, mostly.

"Well, you should pack whatever is usable and stay with your brother. It will take around four weeks to fix the apartment."

"Okay." 

* * *

 

"Four weeks?" James asked incredulously as Kate, James' wife, handed him a glass of water.

"Yeah, so is it okay if I stay here?"

"Sure, but you should know that housekeeper left the job, so if you could do that-" James said with a grin before Kate cut him off.

"James! He's kidding Albus, our housekeeper hasn't left yet, and you don't have to do anything. You can stay here for as long as you want."

"She doesn't mean that, Alby-"

" _Don't_ call me that."

"I do mean it." Albus nodded at his sister in law before taking a look around the house. As James played for England's National Football team, his house was, well, extravagant. It was a penthouse with floor to ceiling windows that gave a direct view of the Big Ben, had six bedrooms and bathrooms and was basically fit for Prince Harry.

"Thanks a lot."

"Don't thank me until you've used the hair dye." James said as he got up and walked towards the kitchen.

 _"James!"_ Albus wondered how Kate still had her voice after all the screaming she did, courtesy of his brother.

"Sorry luv, I meant shampoo." Kate turned towards him seriously but Albus beat her to it.

"Don't worry, I won't use it until you've replaced it." 

"Okay. Anyway, I'll have dinner out in a few minutes. Why don't you freshen up, I've laid out out some of James' clothes for you.

"Sure, thanks."

"It's nothing." Albus picked up his duffel bag and walked up the stairs. His room was spacious, there was a queen sized bed, the foot of which had a Persian rug, mahogany cupboards, a dressing table and a new pair of clothes. Just as he was about to change, his phone rang and he picked it up without checking the caller I.D.

“Hello.”

“Is this Albus Potter?” A man’s voice inquired from the other end.

“Yes, who is this?”

“Mr. Potter, I’m Scorpius Malfoy, I heard about you and your services from an….acquaintance of mine.” Albus felt his jaw drop as he heard the smooth and sophisticated voice on the other line. He was sure it was the personification of sin.

“And you require my services?” He asked with a confidence he wasn't sure he had.

“Yes, I need you to come with me to Scotland the next week”

“For the entire week?”

“Yes.”

"I'm afraid I'm preoccupied."

"Why don't we meet in person, Mr. Potter, I'm sure I can persuade you to be completely free the next week.

"I highly doubt it, Mr. Malfoy."

He was sure he had heard the name somewhere, but he couldn't be bothered with that now.

"I insist."

 "Very well, we'll meet and discuss this in person."

“How about Wednesday? At around seven in the evening.”

“I’m quite sure I’ll be free.”

“Good, The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. Ask for me.” Before he could respond the line was dead.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Scorpius Malfoy was a meticulous and sophisticated man. Well, that's what the media thinks, thought Scorpius as realized he had worn his sock inside out. It was ten o'clock in the morning on a grey and rainy Monday and as usual, Scorpius had woken up late. This meant he had missed an important skype call with the Japanese health minister. Soon his father was going to call him and ask him what the  _hell_  he had been doing.

He could almost hear his father's angry yet regal voice asking him that. He could also hear his own timid voice responding that he had overslept.

Most people thought Scorpius had a dominating personality. He didn't. He put on a nice, well-practiced mask of being dominating and sure of himself.

In reality, most of the time, the only thing Scorpius was sure of was that he was making a fool of himself.

Like now, he was late for work, he had overslept rather than talk to the health minister and was now running about in his bedroom wearing a shirt, tie, coat, his thankfully correct socks and….well, it seems he had forgotten his pants. He rushed to the cupboard, put on a pair of grey dress pants, made sure he had tucked his shirt and worn his shoes and practically ran downstairs, as much as he could in an elevator anyway, to where his chauffeur was waiting for him. After giving him instructions he called his secretary, Anna Zabini, who had already rescheduled his appointment.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you Anna.”

“You would probably have been explaining to the Japanese Health Minister what you had to do that was more important than your meeting with him. Oh, and by the way, your mother is here to see you.” Scorpius froze.

“My mother…?”

“Yes, and she wants to meet your boyfriend. You didn’t tell me you had one, boss.” Scorpius took a deep breath, preparing himself to reveal a huge secret.

“Anna, I don’t have a boyfriend.” Scorpius could almost see the grin on her face as she spoke.

“Then why does your mother think you do?”

“Because I told her so in a bout of low self esteem..?”

“You know, sometimes I wonder how you make business decisions.  Just tell her he’s out of town to visit some family and she can meet him some other time.”

“Anna, you’re a lifesaver, if I weren't gay, I’d kiss you.”

“Really? And what do you think my boyfriend would do you if you did?” Scorpius thought of Anna’s six feet tall boyfriend who worked as a bouncer in one of his clubs and swallowed thickly.

“You're right, I wouldn't have kissed you even if I wasn’t gay. Anyway, I’m almost there; I’ll talk to you then.”

“Okay.” He hung up and pressed his face against the window. He saw his reflection, platinum blonde hair, thin lips, grey eyes and pale skin. His resemblance to his father was almost….scary; he knew exactly what he would look like when he was 46. Sometimes he wished they didn’t have a family business, so that he wouldn’t be expected to take care of it. He dismissed the thought when the car came to halt in front of a skyscraper and got out. He straightened himself, pushed his shoulders back, took a deep breath and put on his mask of indifference.

“Okay Scorpius, you can do it. It's your mother who's here to meet you, _not_ great aunt Bellatrix.” He fixed his tie and walked into the lobby, taking the elevator to the topmost floor.

“Anna.” He greeted his secretary as he got off the elevator.

“Your mother is in your cabin. The meeting with the health minister is at one. I told him you had to reschedule because you overslept.” She informed him as they walked towards his office.

“Did he have a good laugh?”

“Yup, pretty sure he’ll hold this one for another month.”

“You changed your hair again. I like magenta pink more than hot pink.”

  
“Yes, you also have to talk with some Korean suppliers. Now, if only my boyfriend could tell the difference.” Scorpius opened the door, but turned around before entering.

“The day you find a boyfriend who can spot the difference, break up with him and give him my number.”

“Stereotyping doesn’t suit you boss, but I’ll definitely do it.”

“Good.” He said before frowning at himself and entering the room where his mother was going through his drawers.

“Really mum?”

“What can I do Scorp? I have to make sure you aren’t eating day old food and _are_ taking care of yourself.” She said while straightening up and managing to look regal in a moment. She was wearing a black designer dress, a black jacket and heels. No one would be able to tell that she was a forty five year old woman with a twenty six year old son.

Scorpius walked behind his desk while his mother sat opposite him.

“So where is he?”

“Who?”

“You know who.” He gave her a blank look and she sighed exasperatedly. “Your boyfriend.”

“I don’t bring him to work, you know.”

“You haven’t given me any details about him.”

“I want you to meet him.”

“Yes, but can’t I at least get a name?”

“No.” He said while looking anywhere but at her.

“Why would you lie?” His face snapped to hers.

“I’m not lying.”

“Scorpius if you're alone, if you need to have ano-“

“No mum, I don’t need it. I’m not alone, I’m fine okay?” He said, perhaps a little too aggressively going by the look on his mothers face.

“I just don’t want you to be lonely.”

“I’m  _not_  lonely – “

“Because the last time you were lonely-“

“I know mum. I was there in case you’ve forgotten.” He immediately regretted saying anything when he saw the look of hurt in his mothers eyes. “I’m sorry, I just-“

“You’re not fifteen anymore.”

“I know.”

“Then start acting like it.” He nodded, he understood what she said but he was still sensitive about the topic she wanted to discuss. “You’re coming home next week.”

“But-“

“It’s your grandparents’ wedding anniversary.”

“I know, but the entire week.” Scorpius groaned.

“You know how they are.”

“What does dad say?”

“He’s telling you to do what they tell you. They want to meet you.”

“They have, for almost twenty six years.”

“Scorpius.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be there.”

“And bring your boyfriend.” Scorpius felt his jaw drop and his composure vanished instantly.

“What?”

“Is that a problem?” She raised an eyebrow as she questioned him.

“Great aunt Bellatrix. She doesn’t like…you know gay guys.” His mother frowned.

“She’ll only be there for the main celebration. So, you will bring him, won’t you? I really do want to meet him.”

“I- yes. Yes, it’s just that….he’s…um...uh...young!” He almost screamed the last word and his mother looked amused.

“He’s over 18, isn’t he?” Dig himself into a bigger hole or project himself as a sexual predator in front of his  _mum_?

“Yeah, of course.”

“Then I don’t see what the problem is. You aren’t very old either. Bring him with you.”

“But what about-“

“Your grandparents? They got past racism, didn’t they? Well, they’ll just have to get past homophobia too. I have to go Scorpius, Draco and I have some errands to run.” He was perfectly aware that this meant his parents had booked a presidential suite in a hotel for doing unspeakable things to each other, but he wasn’t about to voice it.

He had enough emotional scars, thank you. He remembered the one time he had walked in on them; he shuddered.

“Alright. Are you staying for dinner or are you leaving tonight?”

“We’re leaving this evening. We can stay if you want to see Draco.”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll see him next week. Besides, we met just two days ago.”

“Okay, as you wish. I’ll you see next Wednesday.”

Scorpius got up to escort his mother out and hugged her before she left.

“Anna.”

“Why are you screaming like that? People will get the wrong idea.” She said smirking at him and entered his office.

“I need a boyfriend.” He said without preamble, moving back inside his office, almost missing the look of amusement on his secretary’s face.

“Okay, so go to a pub and flirt. I can teach you how to.”

“That’s not what I- I know how to flirt!” He exclaimed in indignation.

“Of course you do.”

“Anna.”

“Okay, okay, I get it; you’re a sensitive little snake.” He glared at her. “Okay, what do you need?”

“My mother wants me to bring my boyfriend home next week.”

“And the problem is?” He continued to stare at her. “Look, just hire an escort.” He felt his jaw drop for what felt like millionth time that day.

“You want me to hire an escort? Isn’t that illegal?” She frowned.

“Not a prostitute, Scorpius, an escort. A male escort. A perfectly _legal_ male escort.”

“Right. And where will I find one?”

“You won’t. I will. Well, to be honest, I already have.” His head snapped up.

“You have?”

“It’s just this guy I had hired a couple months ago. He’s really hot and he’ll sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

“Why did you need an escort?” She cleared her throat.

“That’s my personal business.”

“Alright. But, isn’t he straight?”

“Nope, he’s bisexual. Here” She thrust her phone into his hand.

“What?”

“His number. Just talk to him once. There’s no point in trying to find anyone else. You have little more than a week and most escorts are booked weeks, if not months beforehand. I’ll text you the number.”

“Anna.”

“Yes?”

“How do you know so much about escorts?” She shrugged and left.

“Wait!”

“Yes?”

“What is his name?”

“Albus Potter.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

 

Scorpius did not know why he insisted Mr. Potter so much. He could get a better looking escort with the amount of money he had, no matter what Anna said, but there was something in that voice. It was unsure, yet confident. Scorpius had never faced this particular combination before and he had a feeling that he probably wouldn't in the future either. There was something vulnerable yet, strong about him. Scorpius was officially intrigued. 

He could not wait till Wednesday, now all he had to do was cancel whatever appointment he had on that day.


	3. Chapter 3

Albus was sitting in the back of a cab that he was taking to the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. To meet Scorpius Malfoy.

He was intrigued by the suave and sexy voice he had heard on the phone almost two days ago. So for the last two days, he was the only thing Albus could think about. He knew that Scorpius – Mr. Malfoy would be a rich client. Moreover, he wanted to take Albus somewhere for a week, even when Albus had turned down his offer. So, why did he insist?

“We’re here.”

“Thanks.” Albus said paying the driver. He made a move to open the door and saw that it was already opened by the valet. He smiled at the man before getting out.

He had decided against bringing his own car as he knew that it would create some embarrassment for him. He knew that this meeting was going to be unexpected and did not want to add to it by listening to some posh woman gossiping about his position in _this_ society. Besides, there was no need to make his profession any more obvious than it would be.

He looked at the towering building that was the hotel and had to consciously make an effort to keep his jaw from dropping. He was glad he wore dress shoes instead of sneakers. He walked inside and walked to the reception.

“Good evening sir, how may I help you?” The manager was a man in his late forties, with a balding head and bulging eyes, almost as if he consumed unnecessary amounts of alcohol on a daily basis.

“I’m here to meet Mr. Malfoy.”

“Ah, you must be Mr. Potter. Yes, Mr. Malfoy will be here momentarily. But he has a reservation in the Rosebery Lounge, you can wait for him there if you’d like to.”

“Sure.”

As Albus was led to the Lounge by a waiter, he looked around the hotel. It was grand and sophisticated, the floor was in the pattern of a chessboard, the walls were adorned with painting that probably cost more than James’ penthouse, the ceiling had bright lights and chandeliers and the people were dressed as if they were about to meet the Queen. Albus was slightly impressed; he had seen many such hotels in the last six months due to his profession so they didn’t affect him too much now, but still, this was a different class.

He sat down and ordered himself a Blueberry and Soda; he glanced across the menu and was glad that he was not paying for his drink. Well, he didn’t _think_ he was.

“Hi. You must be Albus Potter.” Albus looked up only to find himself staring into the most beautiful grey eyes he had ever seen. “I’m Scorpius Malfoy.” He got up and shook the other man’s hand.

“Yes. It’s nice to meet you.” Oh God, he was hot. Scorpius Malfoy was extremely hot. He was very attractive. His jaw, his cheekbones, his eyes, his lips, hell, his nose, he was extremely attractive. Why did he need an escort? He was a God. A sex God. Okay, maybe he wasn’t that good, who was he kidding? Of course he was.

“You as well.” They both sat down, with Scorpius sitting opposite Albus. He was wearing black dress pants, a white button- down shirt and a grey coat that he removed and placed on the arm of his couch. “Thank you for meeting with me.” Albus nodded.

“Of course, Mr. Malfoy-“

“Please, call me Scorpius.”

“Then I believe we should both be more…comfortable with each other.”

“Of course.” There was silence for a moment before Albus spoke.

“So, what do you need me for?” Albus came straight to the point, trying to brush his discomfort aside. There was an awkward air around them and Albus just _knew_ that Scorpius had never hired an escort before. He was fidgeting and for all the picture he tried to paint, Albus was quite sure that he was extremely nervous.

“Well, basically, you see I dug myself into a pretty hopeless situation.” Albus leaned forward. “I lied to my..uhm..family that I have a boyfriend. And now they expect me to bring him home.”

“Oh.”

“I know how-“

At that moment they were interrupted by the waiter who had brought Albus’ drink and Scorpius ordered himself one as well.

“What were you saying?”

“I know it sounds ridiculous.”

“No, I understand. It’s hard to tell your parents something you know they might not accept. And coming clean about the truth is hard no matter how old you are.” Yes, Albus knew all about _that._

“Thanks. I think you’re the first person who hasn’t reprimanded me for lying.”

“I’d be a hypocrite if I did. In fact anyone who does is a hypocrite.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, everyone has lied at least once in their lives.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that. So, will you do it?” Albus raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I need clear a few things first.”

“Of course, that’s the reason I insisted we meet in person.”

“The first is that, I’m an escort _not_ a prostitute, so I’m not going to have sex with you.” Scorpius’ pale face was filled with color as all the blood rushed to his face. Albus was sure that this was one of the most adorable things he had ever seen, only coming after toddlers.

“Yes, I know, I’m not expecting you to…you know, I mean that-“

“It’s okay, I got it.” The waiter came and placed Scorpius’ drink and he ordered another round. “The next is that you won’t be telling your family my surname. I keep my first name because of my reflexes, but we’ll make up a fake last name.”

“That’s reasonable.”

“The third thing is that I’ll be giving as little details about my family. Also, I will give fake details about everything else about my social life to everyone including you.” The other man nodded. “We will have to take the train as I will not take any identification with me. My payment will be made in two steps, first before we leave at your earliest convenience and the second will be after I leave.”

By now Scorpius was sitting up straight and had a frown on his face. Albus liked him a lot, but he was not going to compromise his social safety for a small crush that would probably wear off soon.

“I accept all of your…conditions. I have only one; you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

“Do you have it with you?”

“Yes. It’s in my car; I’ll have my driver bring it here.”

“I’d like to read it over in its entirety before I sign it.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. Now, let’s discuss your….fees.”

“Fees?”

“Yes, you are doing a service for me, I’ll be paying you your fees.” The next round was there and Albus held off from ordering another. He was floored that Scorpius had asked him for his fees and not his rate or price. He knew his job wasn’t ideal, but to be treated as another person by his clients wasn’t something he came across easily.

“It’s for a week?”

“Yes, we leave on Wednesday the 24th and will be there till Tuesday, the 31st of  September.”

“I generally take a hundred pounds an hour.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I earn. It would be hard to explain the money to my dad.”

“So, it would be around….ten thousand pounds.” Albus felt like he was miscalculating, if he earned that much money, he wouldn’t have to work for at least a month.

“Technically, it’s ten thousand, five hundred pounds. So, how about eleven thousand pounds?”

“Sounds good to me.” That sounded like heaven to him, but there was no need to tell Scorpius about that.

“So, I’ll transfer the money to your account if you send me the account number.”

“Actually, I would prefer cash.”

“Right, income tax department.”

“Yes.” It was more because he didn’t want Scorpius to know more about his personal life, but that was something he needed to think about. “What time will we be leaving?”

“Around noon. I’ll text you the details.”

“That sounds good.” There was a pause in which neither of them said anything. Albus cleared his throat. “Well, I guess I should leave.”

“No!” Albus looked at Scorpius, confused at his outburst. “We should have dinner.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” He was already debating not taking the money and just staring at Scorpius during the holiday, he didn’t need emotional entanglements to top that off.

“We’ll need to look comfortable in front of my family. The more time we spend together, the easier it’ll be.”

“Yes, I understand that, and you’re obviously right, but not tonight.”

“As you wish, let me know when you’re free this week. Actually, are you free on Saturday?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Great, I’ll give you a call and we’ll see.”

“Of course.” Albus got up, followed by Scorpius, who walked him outside.

* * *

 

 _Hi._ Scorpius stared down at his screen. He had been in a meeting all morning and had not got a chance to check his phone till now. Albus had texted it him.

 _Hello. How are you?_ It had been two days since they had met and Scorpius could not get the tall, green eyed, black haired guy out of his head. He was almost always thinking about him and had developed a tiny crush on him. Very, very tiny. He definitely didn't think about Albus' soft hands, or the smell of his aftershave, the feeling of holding his hand, the way he held himself and he certainly did not wish he could hear his laugh. And his heart was most definitely not beating faster by thinking about him. He was pulled out of his thoughts by the vibrating of his phone, and his heart started beating faster.

 _I’m fine. So, green or blue?_ Scorpius was confused as he read the message. He was waiting for Ana to get him lunch from a restaurant in the neighborhood and had decided to check his inbox. This was not what he was expecting.

 _Sorry, what?_ It was only a minute later that the phone vibrated.

_Which color do you prefer, blue or green?_

_Green._

_Marvel or D.C?_ How long had it been since Scorpius had seen either? Too long

_D.C._

_Really? I prefer Marvel._ Scorpius could almost feel the tension roll off him as he read that.

_Please tell me you’re joking. D.C is better._

_Are you kidding? Their villains are mad._

_And classic. No one beats the Joker._ Scorpius could feel indignation rise in him. How can Albus say Marvel was better?

_What about Loki? Or the Mandarin?_

_That’s ridiculous. They don’t compare to the Joker._

_You only say that cause you’re old._ When Ana entered the room, she saw her boss staring at his screen with his mouth hanging open and eyes bulging.

“Boss? You okay?”

“O..kay? This is ridiculous! How can he say this?”

“Who?”

“Can you place the lunch on my desk. Thanks Ana.”

_I am not old. I’m 26.  And how is that even relevant?_

_I’m 19, you are older than me. Well, Marvel has been making more movies recently._

_You’re right. I’m older than you, not old._

_Denial. Don’t worry, you’ll get over it soon, dad._

_Ugh..you’re irritating._

_Only because you’re so easy to irritate._

_What are you up to?_

_I’m irritating you._

_Well, then Mr. Potter, I advise you to stop doing that._

_And, why on earth would I do that, Mr. Malfoy?_ Scorpius could not think of a single response to that so decided to change the situation.

_Bronte or Austen?_

_Neither, I’ve never read their works. And if I did, I don’t remember._

_You don’t like books?_

_No, let me guess, you’ve read every one of their books and have a huge library at your house._

_Well, well, you aren’t bad at filling gaps, are you, Mr. Potter?_

_No, I don’t believe I am Mr. Malfoy._ Scorpius looks up as his laptop sends out a shrill sound. His lunch is over and he has a conference to attend. And he didn’t even get to have the lunch.

_I’m sorry I have to do this, but I have a meeting to attend, I’ll talk to you after, if that’s okay with you?_

_Of course._

* * *

 

 _Well, hello._ Albus is having dinner with Kate, who is eating with table manners she had to learn before meeting the Queen, and James, who is wolfing his food down, when his phone vibrates and Scorpius Malfoys message lights up the screen of his phone.

He continues to eat his pasta, but gives in after approximately five seconds.

_Hi_

_What are you doing?_

_I’m having dinner. I’ll talk to you in a few minutes._

_Sure._

Even though he asked Scorpius to wait for some time, Albus finished his dinner in record time, beating James. After telling Kate and James that he had work to do, he left the room, beginning to text Scorpius on the way.

 _So, what did you need?_  He didn’t have to wait long for the reply.

 _Why did you text me this afternoon?_  Albus suddenly felt very small.

 _To get to know you. We can lie about me, but we can’t tell lies about you, your parents would know._ He bit his lip as he waited for a reply.

_You’re right, I didn’t think about it._

_Of course you didn’t._ Albus smiled cheekily as pressed the ‘send’ button. He didn’t know why he was chatting so freely with Scorpius, he just knew he was.

_Flowers or chocolates?_

_What do I look like, a fifteen year old girl?_

_Its chocolates for me._

_The same._ Was Albus’ reluctant reply. _Favorite book?_

_Game of Thrones._

_Huh. I was almost_ _expecting Fifty Shades of Grey._

_What? Don’t tell me you compare me to that guy._

_Don’t like him?_

_I think he’s a psychopath._

_That’s what people say about Sherlock Holmes._

_Please, he’s a highly functioning sociopath, there's a difference._

_True. He’s one of my favorites._

_He’s my favorite._

_Of course._

_Albus, are you free tomorrow evening?_

_Yes, why?_

_Well, I was thinking we could have dinner and agree on what to tell my parents. How we met and all that._

_Oh, I thought we were meeting on Saturday.._ Albus had to wait for a few minutes before Scorpius replied.

_Oh, actually, there's a meeting I thought I could cancel, but it turns out that...I can't. I'm sorry about the inconvenience_

Albus bit his lip,  _it's alright, you don't have to apologize, what about 8?_

_That's fine with me. Do you like Chinese?_

_Of course. Do you know Gold Mine?_

_Of course I do. Best Chinese food in the city. I love it._

_Me too. So, see you there?_

_Okay. Good night._

_Good night. Sweet dreams._

_You too._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there it is. I'm sorry it took me so long. I hope you liked this chapter. Thank you for the comments, kudos and bookmarks, they make my day.


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpius took a deep breath as he looked into the mirror. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with a white shirt under his maroon cardigan, a pair of sport shoes, with his hair flat atop his head, a fringe over his right eye. Or was it left, it was right, he confirmed recognizing his right hand, mirrors always _did_  confused him with sides. He looked good, or at least that's what he thought as he stared at his reflection. Hopefully, Albus would think the same way. Of course he wouldn't, he was so attractive himself, why on earth would he find _Scorpius_ attractive?

Scorpius shook his head, no, no self-deprecating thoughts before dates, that was the rule. Or that had been the rule, two years ago, the last time he'd been on a date. God, had it really been two years? No wonder his mum was worried about him.

But, did the rule even apply when he wasn't sure that it was a date?

Was it a date?

Or was it a meeting?

It was a meeting , Scorpius decided. Because if it wasn't, if he considered it as anything other than that, then he would have a tough time tonight. He wouldn't be able to talk, make good conversation and would probably embarrass himself more than ten times in the first half hour. Whenever this happened on his dates, which was almost always, there usually wouldn't be a second date, no one wanted to date a dork with low self esteem. But that wouldn't happen tonight, no, tonight was a meeting, and he would be in his element, pretending to be just as sophisticated as the media thought he was. He wasn't going to make a fool of himself tonight, not in front of Albus.

Scorpius shook himself, no, he couldn't give Albus that much importance, for him it was just a job, an odd one, but a job none the less, nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

 Albus was pacing around his room, it was 6:30pm, he still had an hour and a half left till he saw Scorpius. He knew he should leave soon, the place was pretty far from James' house and he didn't want to be, considering the traffic. He went downstairs to see that the living room was empty, but heard voices from the kitchen. Inside the kitchen was a freshly showered James who was trying to sprinkle water from his wet hair onto an exasperated Kate by shaking his head who was trying to make grilled chicken.

"I knew I was right," Albus said, "you really are a dog".

"Albus" Kate exclaimed, "You look nice". She said, taking in his light black jeans and green shirt. He heard James groan.

"Can you not do that?" He asked Kate gesturing to her and Albus, who frowned.

"Why baby, are you jealous?"

"Yes, no complementing my brother, I'm the more attractive". James said, strangely reminding Albus of proud peacock. 

"Whatever you say, ginger". Albus quipped up, not being able to help himself, while Kate's blue eyes shifted between the two brothers.

"Oy! The red hair is attractive".

"Yeah, if you're a girl".

"Oh shut it Potter".

"Besides, I'm the one who got grandmum's eyes. The _only_ one."

"Yes, go ahead and boast about the only good feature you have".

"Uh huh, I have attractive eyes, don't I Kate?"

"If you two want a good, classic English breakfast tomorrow, you can stop this weird competition, or you can continue, and we can all have those diet cornflakes James hates."

"So.....where you heading little brother? Hot date?" James asked looking scared and turned towards Albus.

"Something like that." Albus said, trying to evade the obvious question that was about to come up.

"Really, Albus? Why do you keep doing it?" Huh, he didn't think James was intelligent enough to catch on that early.

"I don't have to explain my life choices to you James".

"No, but you could let me help you. If you just talked to dad-"

"No, I'm not talking to him. I know exactly how _important_ I am to him".

"No, you don't. Look, he made a mistake-"

"Yeah, me! You don't have to remind me of that, he did it enough!"

There was silence in the kitchen, as James took in his words. It was, however, Kate who broke the silence.

"Look Albus, I'm not going to defend Harry, nor do I understand what you're going through. But he's your father, and the only mistake he made was not believing you, which I'm sure he wants to rectify".

"It doesn't matter Kate, it's too late now". Albus turned on his heel, to leave. "I'll be back by eleven". He said as he walked to the door and out. He rode the elevator downstairs, wishing James hadn't brought up the topic of his strained relationship with his father, it was always something difficult to talk about and now, he was bound to be in a bad mood while meeting Scorpius. Which wasn't good. He wanted to be focused on what he was doing, he wanted to help Scorpius and not just because he was getting paid a lot, but-

Albus put a hold to his thoughts, he was an escort, and there was no way Scorpius was going to like him, he had a job and he needed to focus on that, the only thing having any kinds of feelings for Scorpius would lead to, was humiliation, in some way or another.

* * *

Scorpius was clenching his hands as he waited for Albus to show up. His left knee was bouncing even as he attempted to control its movement. He had been thinking of what this dinner would go like since the past two hours, last night really. He had decided that this wasn't going to be a date, that he wasn't going to get himself embarrassed in front of Scorpius, but it seemed like his mission, along with his determination to complete it, was now going to hell in a hand basket. 

He saw the familiar dark brown hair before he saw the man, and Scorpius could swear that in the three or so days since they had met for the first time, Albus had become even more attractive. Albus gave him an easy smile when he spotted him and Scorpius willed his body to relax. 

"Hi."

"Hey, Albus." Scorpius decided he liked the way Albus' name rolled off his tongue.

"How are you, Scorpius?" He asked taking the seat opposite him.

"I'm fine." Albus raised an eyebrow. 

"Just a little nervous?" He provided.

"Is it _that_ obvious?" Great, he had barely said anything and already a blush was spreading up his neck. He was sure he was going to humiliate himself, some way or the other.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty nervous myself. I don't think I've ever met a guy who wants to take me away to Scotland for a week." Scorpius now felt like a predator whisking Albus away from civilization for a week to get things done for himself. Oh God, he was turning into Christian Grey, a very gay, a very British Christian Grey. Minus the whole B.D.S.M thing, well...to a certain extent. 

"Scorpius?"

"What? Oh- I'm so sorry, I was just thinking about something. Work related. Definitely _not_ about Christian Grey."

"O...kay". Albus said skeptically, looking both confused and amused. Great, Embarrassment - 2, Scorpius - 0. he was pulled out of his unusually worse self deprecating thoughts by the arrival of their server. 

"Can I get you anything to drink?" He asked after having introduced himself.

"I'll have a beer." Scorpius said.

"I think I'll have one as well".

"What are you planning to order?" Scorpius asked, after their server left.

"I'm not sure. So.....what is it like? Running a multi million dollar company?"

"It's cooler in the movies."

"And the books, I believe." Albus said with a wide smile, looking as if he was ready to burst into laughter.

"In my defense, Christian Grey had a multi _billion_  company."

"Of course."

"But seriously, it's a headache. You have to go to board meetings and constantly worry about share prices, not to mention being gay doesn't 'restore investor confidence.'" Albus shook his head.

"Trust me, that happens everywhere. There was a fire at my apartment earlier this week-"

"Were you okay?" Scorpius asked, before he could stop himself.

"Yeah, no, I was fine, I was in college when it happened. But my landlord tried to correlate the fire with me being gay." Scorpius tried and failed to hold back his laughter.

"How did he justify that one?"

"Yeah, apparently straight guys don't use hair dryers."

"Oh God. That - I've never heard anything like that before. That is literally the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"I know right". The two of them sat in silence till their waiter arrived with their beers and asked them if they were ready to order.

"Could you give us a minute? We haven't decided yet". Albus said catching the deer in headlights look on Scorpius' face.

"Of course", the waiter replied and moved away.

"So, what are you going to take Albus?"

"I think I'll take the Shrimp with Lobster sauce, have you decided?"

"I don't know, I think I'll stick with Kung Pao Chicken, maybe".

"Alright". They both ordered when their waiter got back.

"Scorpius, what exactly have you told your family about your 'boyfriend'?"

"Not a lot, just that I have one, I told my mum about two months ago, and have been evading her since, until she showed up at my office this week".

"Alright, so we need to come up with a story of how we met. So, how about we stick to the classic 'met in a bar' story?"

"That won't work for me". Scorpius said. "I don't really do...bars". Scorpius said, rubbing the back of his neck. Three for embarrassment, Scorpius still zero.

"Makes sense. You probably don't have the time. Besides, clubbing is overrated". Albus said giving the flustered and embarrassed looking Scorpius a kind look. In return, Scorpius gave the other man a grateful smile.

"So, where else?"

"Who told you about me?" Albus asked suddenly.

"My secretary, Anna Zabini".

"Oh, Anna! Well, that's perfect. She set us up on a blind date and then, we just clicked."

"Yes, it does sound like something Anna would do. The only problem is that whenever she does this, I don't go".

"So, how about she lied to you? Told you it was a business meeting, so that you'd show up. And when you did, told you it was a date?"

"Well, I think that would work. And I'm not the kind of guy who would stand you up".

"Nice to know". Albus said. "Alright, so when is your birthday?"

"It's on 9th September, when is yours?"

"29th January. And..... ah, which school did you attend?"

"Hogwarts, it's a boarding school-"

"In Scotland. Yeah, I know, I went there too."

"You did?" Scorpius asked incredulously.

"Yup. Oh God! Now I know why your name is so familiar. It's on 5 of the trophies in the trophy room!"

"Oh, uh...those are my fathers, not mine".

"I'm sorry, what was the name...Draco Malfoy, right?"

"Yes, you're right. So you were a first year when I was in my last." They spent time till their server came with their food, and spoke about Hogwarts and all the teachers they shared. 

"This is delicious". Scorpius said after taking the first bite. 

"So is this, you should try it".

"Okay". Scorpius reached over and took a bite while pushing his plate over to Albus, who took the hint. 

"So, it's settled then", Albus said, "we were at up on a blind date by Anna, you didn't wanna go, and I thought you would be arrogant, but when we met, we clicked and decided to go on another date". 

"And the rest, is history". Scorpius completed. 

 Satisfied, that their story was formulated, they went on discussing more about each other. Monday couldn't come fast enough for either of them. 


	5. Chapter 5

   After the fight that Albus had with James the previous day, they went back to what they usually did when the topic of Albus' work or their father came up, they ignored it. But, since it was afternoon, and Albus was going to Scotland in a few hours, it seemed that he had no other option then to tell James about his work _assignment_. Who knew, maybe he could use the situation with his dad to make James see that Albus was his brother, not his property. And also, avoid another argument.

With this thought in mind, he went to the living room. 

To see...

"Oh God! Stop that!" James sat up to look at Albus in frustration as Kate got up from below James, her face flushed and hair tangled.

"I should kick you out!" James exclaimed in anger.

"You have the worst timing", Kate said, although her face looked like it was on fire.

"Oh well, you'll have all the time in the world starting tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" James asked him, as he and Kate sat on the couch and Albus took a seat on the love seat opposite them.

"I'm going to Scotland for a week."

"Wow, can I ask why?" Kate, bless her soul, had probably realized that Albus was on the defensive and had possibly guessed why.

"For work."

"No!"

"James, sit down please..."

"No Kate, you're not going to placate me this time”, then he turned towards Albus “how can you just go to Scotland with someone you don't know?"

"It's work James, would you rather I didn't?" Albus had now stood up as well. This was quickly progressing into a fight, and it was probably going to be ugly.

"I'd rather you didn't do the job at all Albus, how hard is it for you to understand?”

"Very hard James, you see, unlike you I'm not dad's favorite son or his little girl for him to pay my college tuition or my rent, so I have to work."

"Not this work...you can do anything else that doesn't involve sleeping with -"

"That's not what I do, I just accompany people to events-"

"Right, people who can't get dates the old fashioned way-"

"Actually, this is kind of the old fashioned way and honestly James, you don't get to sit in your million pound apartment and judge-"

"And it's not like dad didn't offer to pay-"

"Yeah, and right after that he believed his favorite spoilt brat of a niece over me. He didn't believe me James, and now-"

"And I'm starting to think he was right! If you can nightlight as a prostitute, you might as well be a drug dealer too!"

The surroundings blurred for Albus as tears started to cloud his vision, "okay."

"Al, no, no wait, I didn't mean that. It just-"

“Slipped out? Is that what you want to say James, because that’s what dad said as well. It just slipped out; I’d rather believe Rose Weasley, who I see ten times a year rather than my own son. It’s not like he’s not worthless anyway.” Albus knew that the poison that was coming out of his mouth wasn’t directed entirely at James, but the way he was standing there, a perfect mixture of Harry and Ginny Potter, it was almost like he was fighting with them all over again. It was like his seventeenth birthday all over again, only this time it was only James and Kate there to see him, not his whole family.

"Albus-“

“I’m not a prostitute. I’m an escort. It means that I accompany people, men and women, to events, mostly high profile, to make them look good. It means companies hire me to pose as a fake employee to restore investor confidence. It means I go to a school dance with a graduating seventeen year old girl who’s been picked on all throughout high school, to show people that no, she’s not ugly or worthless, and they should stop sending her facebook messages to kill herself.  Those the kind of people also hire me. Sometimes its menopausal women who want to feel young, because their husbands treat them like trash, frequently cheating on them with 20 year old girls. So, yes James, I like my work. I meet a range of people and can study their behaviors. So maybe you have a problem with it, but I don’t.”

“Albus I-“

“Didn’t know? That’s because you never bothered to ask me.”

“No, I was going to say that I just don’t want you to hurt one of these days.” There was a desperation in his vice that Albus had only heard once before.

“I won’t, I’m a kickboxing champion.”

“You sometimes sleep with these people, what about STDs?”

“Ah, see I don’t think you know of this invention, it’s called a condom, you’ve got two in your pocket right now.”

“What will you do if mum and dad find out?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t worried about it, why, you planning to tell on me?”

“I’ve proved that I’m an arse, I have no interest of turning into a rat as well.”

“Well, thank God for that, right James?”

“Al-“

“No, I’ll be out by tomorrow morning. And by the time I get back, my house will be fixed up. Or maybe I could crash with someone.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do. I’m not going to stay here if you can’t respect me James.”

“I do respect you.”

“Not really, you respect the fact that we share DNA, not me.”

It was now James’ turn to look hurt, and Albus felt some kind of sick satisfaction that he tried to suppress.

“I need to pack up my bags.” Albus said before he left the room.

“Well, what am I supposed to do now?”

“Give him some time to calm down, and come to terms with the fact that your brother is an escort, and that’s the way it’s going to be for the foreseeable future.”

“I just don’t understand why.”

“Why he’s an escort? Probably because it pays a lot. And you know what, maybe he won’t accept it, but I think it’s because some part of him wants to fill the hole that’s been left by the loss of his fathers trust and affection.”

“But that – I mean, why’d he have to believe Rose over him anyway? How is it that she manipulates everyone and still pretend to be innocent?”

“I honestly don’t know. What are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to talk to dad.”

“You’re going to tell him about Albus-“

“No, he lost the right to know about him two years ago. I’m just going to give him a piece of my mind, something I should’ve done a long time ago.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yes, I am. I’ll go see him this weekend.”

 Albus was packing his bag rather angrily, a couple clothes, nightclothes, a tux, toothbrush, underwear, a book on psychology, a coat, a notebook and last but not the least, warm, fuzzy socks knitted by grandma Weasley.

It was when he was taking his charger that he realized he had two texts from Scorpius and a missed call as well. He immediately called him, and the call was received at the second bell.

“Hi Albus.”

“Hey Scorpius, I have a missed call from you. What’s up?”

“Albus, the plane won’t be available tomorrow, so I was calling to ask you if you want to take a train or if I should book a flight.”

“The train is fine.”

“Alright, so a train that leaves tomorrow morning at 5 or a sleeper coach tonight?”

Albus thought back to the fight he had with James.

“The sleeper coach, if you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all, I prefer it.”

“Great, text me the details, and I’ll see you at King’s cross in a couple hours.”

“Of course, wait! Albus, are you okay, you sound off.”

“I’m fine Scorpius, bye.”

Albus disconnected the phone before the other man had an opportunity to say anything. He realized he was acting rude, but he just didn’t have it in himself to care at the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

Scorpius stared at his phone as he realised that Albus had just hung up on him. It wasn’t a prestige issue, but it wasn’t in Albus’ nature to be rude, even accidentally. And he had sounded off. But why? What could possibly have happened? And, if something had happened, did he really have any right to know what it was? After all, him and Albus weren’t actually dating, they weren’t actually in love, he’d known the guy for a week, and they’d went out once during that time. It really wasn’t his place to ask.

Sighing. Scorpius texted Anna to book tickets for himself and Albus. He then continued to stare at the document on his phone.

He knew he shouldn’t have it.

It was illegal to have it. Well, not truly, it was all in the public domain.

But it still felt like an invasion of privacy to read it.

Especially since he knew that Albus regarded his privacy to be of the utmost importance.

It wasn’t as if he was going to tell his whole family about this document.

It wasn’t even his idea to procure it, he didn’t even knew it existed. It was Anna who had given it to him. To make sure he knew what to say if any problem ever arose.

But now he felt like an arse for reading it.

He should’ve stopped when he realised what it was.

A compilation of all articles about Albus Potter on the internet.

An article for winning a local kickboxing championship.

A post with his brother James Potter, the guy on the national football team.

And an article on drug dealing. He was first arrested and then all charges against him were dropped. The only reason the story was covered at all was because his brother was an upcoming football player, he was a minor and his father belonged to an old, rich family.

His father was respected, his brother was rich, yet, he was doing a job that no one else in his position would ever even consider. Why? And kickboxing? He knew Albus looked athletic, but he never thought it would be that. It felt like Albus Potter was one, big mystery, one that he couldn’t possibly solve.

* * *

Waiting till the next day wasn’t an option for him, so as soon as Albus had left home, James called up a town car to take him a few miles out of London, to a quant town little town, affectionately named Godric’s Hollow. It felt like forever till he got there, when it was only two hours at best. It was almost night time when he got there. And then he was standing outside a two storied house, his home.

The place he grew up in. But today he hadn’t come there with the usual affection or nostalgia or love. No, today was about anger. Anger, that he had no business keeping in for the last two, almost three years.

He walked up the steps he remembered pretending to fly on, to knock on a wooden door, that had been replaced after he and Fred built a small bomb that blew the first one to pieces. His mum had been livid. And for good reason, it was a miracle the house hadn’t crashed down that day. He sincerely hoped his kids took after his wife and not himself.

The door opened to reveal his mum who at first looked surprised to see him, understandably, he hadn’t informed that he was visiting. Then her face broke into a big smile.

“James!” And then she was hugging him as if her life depended on it. And he hugged back just as fiercely. He needed all the strength he could get. Eventually though, he was released. “What are you doing here? Not that I’m not happy to see you.”

“Yes mum, I know that. I’m sure you’ve ruined my hair. Can I come in?”

  
“Of course.” They both entered his childhood home. Every nook and corner held memories of the three siblings and their parents. Even the area in front of the fireplace. Especially that.

“Where’s dad?”

  
“He’s in his office. Checking on some documents, I think.”

“I need to talk to him.” James remembered being the loudest, most extorverted kid in the house. Always one to play pranks, get in trouble, beat around to the bush to get out of said trouble, but now there wasn’t a hint that child on his face. Maybe that’s what conveyed the severity of the matter to his mother.

“Go on ahead. Is everything okay?”

  
“No. But I’m going to make it okay.”

* * *

 

Albus wondered if he was a little early when he got on the platform, but his fears were assuaged when he saw, a surprisingly dull looking Scorpius walk towards him.

“Who died?”

“What?” Scorpius’ head snapped up to look at him.

“You look terrible, is everything okay? Do we need to modify the plan? Did you lie and say you adopted a kid?”

  
“What? No..why would - you’re teasing me!”

  
“Well, if the shoe fits….”

“It does not. Why are you - Ugh. Anyway, we have a train to catch.”

“Yes, of course. It’s that one.” Albus said pointing towards the train standing on the platform. There was a crowd around it, people walking around, loading their luggage, bidding their loved ones a goodbye.

“I did something stupid.” Albus heard Scorpius say in a small, guilty voice.

“What?”

“I’ll tell you once we’re in the train so you won’t be able to hit me.”

“I’m not going to hit you anywhere. But, you can tell me inside if that’s what makes you comfortable.”

“Thank you.” Although Albus trend to put it out of his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was that Scorpius wanted to tell him, until he saw their seats. More like room. It was a standard compartment with two beds and a small table between them. There was also a door leading to the bathroom, it reminded Albus of the first apartment he had after he cut all ties with his father.

  
“So, what is it that you’ve done?” In response, a very guilty looking Scorpius handed him a tab. It took him one look to figure out what it was. “Ah! So you have done you’re due diligence.”

“So….you aren’t angry?”

“No, in fact I had assumed you’d’ve done it before you first contacted me.”

“I hadn’t. And I didn’t do it this time either, it was Anna.”

“It’s fine Scorpius, people do it all the time.”

“Did you do it?”

“No I didn’t, I-“

“See, so I had no right to invade your privacy.”

Albus felt extremely sad. It was almost like it was spreading throughout his whole body, Scorpius was nice. It was a term that was very often overused but there he was, head of a multi million corporation looking at him so earnestly, believing he’d committed a crime for doing nothing but taking general precautions. It had a long time since Albus had been around so genuine and open. It was a good thing he had someone like Anna working for him, to protect him.

It was almost as if Albus were the older one, more critical, more cynical rather than Scorpius, who was good and kind and unafraid of vulnerability.

“You didn’t. These are all records that are officially in the public domain. You just compiled information from websites online.”

“But-“

  
“It’s fine Scorpius.”

“Are you sure?”“Yes, I’m sure. If there’s anything that’s wrong, I’ll let you know.”

“Anything at all, no matter how small it seems.”

“Yes. There’s a question I’d like to ask you Scorpius.”

  
“Sure, what is it?”

  
“How do you do business?”

  
“What do you mean?”

  
“What I mean is hat you are so open and honest, how do you do business?”

  
“I’m not like this when I’m doing business.”

“Okay.”

“I’m actually very different than this. This is how I’m around friends and family.”

“Well, good. You’d go bankrupt others.”

“Trust me, I know. Now, would you like to get some dinner?”

“You know, I wouldn’t really mind that.”

“After you.”

The lounge car smelled delicious, Albus thought as he was seated at a table across from Scorpius.

“Now, can I ask you something?” Scorpius asked.

“Why am I working as an escort when my father and brother are rich?”

* * *

  
“Hey dad.”

“James? What are you doing here?” Harry got up from his spot on the sofa in the study to walk towards James.

“Why did you cut off contact from Albus?”

  
“What?”

“You know what. Why did you cut off contact with him? Why didn’t you ever apologise to him?”

“James-“

“No, do not give me excuses. Tell me why you didn’t just believe him in the first place? Why trust Rose? We all know she’s a liar. Then why wouldn’t you trust him? Tell me dad. Why not apologise? Why let him stay in that horrible place he calls an apartment? Why not pay his tuition? Why?”

“James! Is that really the way to talk to your father?” He hadn’t realised his mother was there too.

“Oh, I’ll talk to you the same way. It’s like you both made a stupid mistake and now he has to pay for it because, what, you’re too proud? Is that it? Tell me.”

 


End file.
